Lessons for life
by Sugarcoated Cupcake
Summary: "I could teach you, you know. Teach you to become more awesome." Canada is in for a surprise when he finally talks back to his brother during a world meeting. [Humor mostly but now also an official PruCan fanfic!]
1. Lesson 1: I'm awesome!

So, after getting a taste of how fun it is to actually write fanfics, gosh I never thought I'd say that, I decided to make another one! This time with a Canadian in it, and a lot of other nations as well of course.

I don't know if there is going to be any pairing with Canada and someone in this yet but if you feel so, please, do tell! If many people vote for the same country they want Canada with I can guide the story in that direction!

Also, the song the old man on the street is playing is "When you're dead" with Voltaire! And for you Bieber fans out there, I apologize and I'll let you know I have nothing against him, he just happened to be mentioned since he's making such headlines every now and then.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hetalia or any of the nations, neither do I own the song of Voltaire even though I do wish I owned the musician's brain...

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**Chapter 1 - Lesson 1: I'm awesome!**

And so it had come to this. The meeting would take place in a couple of hours and just like last time, he had gotten to know because he accidentally had heard Francis talk about it when he'd tried to get invited into Arthur's bedroom, again, and failed miserably, again.

Apparently they had moved it an hour later due to Alfred not being there yet, even though they were in America this time. His ignorance for time and others never seemed to surprise Matthew anymore though, they grew up together after all.

With a sigh the Canadian shook his head and turned his violet-blue eyes back into the hotel room where he stayed for his visit. It wasn't an overly fancy place like many of the countries used to book for these meetings, of course more aiming to show off than trying to make their guests comfortable.

He remembered last time they visited France and all of them were staying at a hotel dedicated to the fairy tail by Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland. The rooms had been a little creepy and the chess table by the toilet was rather strange but it had still been a fun idea, especially with the occasional tea parties that had dragged the attention of mostly Arthur but many other countries as well.

This room on the other hand was quite plain with the dark grey walls and wooden floor, curtains being a crimson colour that matched the bed sheets except for the white pillows that for the moment was occupied by Matthew's furry friend, somehow having spread his small body out over all of them. The polar bear never seemed to mind where or how he was positioned as long as it was as comfortable as possible.

In the small room was a big bed in the middle of one of the longer walls with a night table beside it and a small bureau with a too big TV on it a bit to the right on the opposite wall, just beside the dark, wooden door that lead out in the hall. A low cabinet was placed beneath the only window in the room, being in the same, dark colour as the bureau with two small knobs out of brass on each of the four drawers. A squiggly pattern was carved into the sides, trying to decorate it but it still mostly looked like a gauche box you put your clothes in.

To the right of the bed a glass door was positioned, leading out to a small balcony with only enough space for two people to walk out on and have a smoke, talk or look out over the urine soaked alley where someone was probably getting mugged in that very moment.

The blonde couldn't help that he did have some preconceptions about his brother's land; it just seemed so violent and out of control though it was probably just the news exaggerating, or so he hoped.

"Hey, Kumachocho, move a bit will you?" The young male kicked his shoes off, his naked feet meeting the cold floor before he climbed up onto the bed, heading towards the pillows.

"Who?" came the sleepy reply from his friend, a yawn stretching out his mouth and showing off the small but sharp teeth that easily could separate flesh from bone if you aggravated the otherwise cute and calm creature.

"Canada," the blonde said with a soft sigh, smiling as he at least got access to one of the five pillows and he put his head onto it, deciding to rest a bit before he had to go to the meeting.

He would have to get up a bit earlier than he wanted though since he needed to change into something less comfortable and more suitable to show for the rest of the countries; not that it actually mattered though. He could come to the meeting in only boxers if he wanted to and no one would notice either way.

Alfred would probably be busy shouting something out over the room, Francis would cling onto Arthur who would desperately throw pens and other things at him to get him off, Feliciano would sit in a corner and drool by the thought of pasta and Ludwig would bang his fist in the table, trying to get some order in the big room but no one would listen.

The thought was both amusing and tiresome at the same time and the Canadian just put the pillow over his head instead, curling up into a foetal position and trying to relax his stiff body.

Soon remembering his glasses when noticing the uncomfortable feeling of them being pressed against his face his pale hand dug in beneath the pillow, grabbing the spectacles and somehow finding the night table to put them on before his hand found its place just beside Kumajirou. A soft tongue licked over the skin and Matthew smiled lightly before closing his eyes, soon falling asleep mostly due to lack of better things to do.

**oOoOo **

The blonde boy slowly started to wake up from something nudging his face with a moist nose and when he opened his eyes he could only see something white right in front of him. It was all blurry and a quiet groan escaped the nation as he threw his left hand out to the side to find the night table that was to the right of the bed, his right arm was placed beneath his head for the moment and therefore not usable. Soon he managed to grab the glasses and drag them beneath the pillow and onto his face, now staring into a pair of black eyes that was staring just as much back at him.

"Oh, Kumijo," he said, nudging the other's nose with his own before he removed the pillow, his mouth opening up in a wide yawn as he rubbed some sleep out of his eyes after lifting the glasses out of the way. "What time is it?"

"Hungry." Matthew looked down at the small polar bear that was now sitting in his lap, still having his innocent looking eyes directed towards him and the male nodded while he patted the furry creature on the head. "I have some slices of seal in the fridge I took with me just for you, don't tell anyone." He winked with a small smile before he moved his friend onto one of the pillows instead, going over to the mini fridge every hotel room had, concealed in the bureau beneath the TV, and taking out a little, beige package. Inside there were three slices of the fatty meat but Kumajirou would have to settle for one piece since he had gotten some fish not long ago.

Obviously the polar bear wasn't happy about this when he so clearly saw there were more to eat but he soon accepted his faith, eating the piece he got while the blonde put the rest of the food into the fridge once again.

It was now it occurred to him that he hadn't even checked the clock yet to see how long it was until the meeting would start and he slowly turned his violet-blue eyes towards the digital clock floating around on the otherwise black TV-screen, the male letting out a relieved sigh when he noticed it was still half an hour to go and the meeting was in the building right next to the hotel.

"Might as well get changed," he murmured after throwing a glance down at the worn-out, blue jeans and the red hoodie he was wearing; it was sure comfortable but not suitable for a meeting with the rest of the nations.

Right away the Canadian started to look through his bag, not taking too long to find the plain suit he was looking for and he held it in his arms for a little while before putting it down again.

"You know what Kumatio, no one will notice how I dress either way, why do I have to look so proper and suited for a world meeting?" He let out a huff, taking out his second outfit instead that he felt like wearing. It was a pair of tight fitting, black jeans and a rather simple button up shirt in a light blue colour that went well against his pale skin and together with his violet-blue eyes.

The half long, blonde, slightly curly hair, still smelling a bit sweet from his shampoo, was in a mess from the nap but it was nothing not a hand full of fingers could fix and after combing through it a couple of times it looked at least a bit more presentable.

He put his index finger onto the bridge of the glasses, pushing them into their place in front of his eyes before turning to Kumjirou that had finished his meal quite some time ago. The small body was now on its back, legs stretched in different directions and eyes closed, ready for another nap.

"Sorry little friend, we do not have time for that now," Matthew said with a small smile, lifting the furry creature into his arm before checking his pockets to see that he had everything; phone, wallet with the hotel keycard and a little cloth if he needed to clean his glasses.

Even though he'd had them most of his life they still got dirty all the time with fingers brushing against them, dust getting onto them and if it's raining outside, a bear shaking all the excess water out of his fur onto his owner instead. Shortly, you never got used to not getting your glasses dirty.

The Canadian put on a pair of black sneakers before he left the room, closing the door behind him and making sure he heard the familiar click of the lock before he made his way down the hall towards the elevator.

There was still plenty of time before he had to be in the meeting room but he felt it was better to not stress and just take it easy on his way to the other building. Besides, you never knew if something would happen and having time enough for mistakes was always good, something his brother probably never would learn.

After waiting a minute or two for the elevator to arrive to his floor he stepped inside when the doors opened up. The floor was covered in a crimson mat, the exact same colour as the curtains and bedsheets in the hotel room. A golden railing was placed at the top of the wood panel, just in hight with Matthew's elbow, and above it a mirror was covering the rest of the walls, forcing the young blonde to look straight forward into the doors if he didn't want to stare at himself.

A delicate finger soon pressed one of the golden buttons with the black number 1 on it and he then watched as door after door passed by; being on the 15 floor took a little while but still not as long as it usually would, considering floor 13 was missing due to some strange things Alfred believed in; and here he thought Arthur was the superstitious one.

The doors soon opened up again, Matthew jogging out to get away from the futile muzak that he heard everytime he stepped into that infernal elevator.

His steps took him through the grand foyer, over the red carpet covering all of the floor, just like in the elevator, and out through the wide, glass doors. Right outside an older male was standing with a guitar in his hands, the creaky clothes being just a pair of jeans, a poncho in the rainbow's all colours and a cowboy hat. Beneath it a little grey hair was poking out, telling it probably wasn't much left on top of his head.

His voice was husky and dark, singing a country song while his fingers danced over the guitar strings, making the blonde move his head a bit to the rhythm. The old man really had some talent but still the guitar case before his naked feet was as good as empty, something Matthew planned on changing. He did have some money left to spend on whatever he wanted so he walked over to the older male, nodding at him with a smile before putting the bucks into their rightful place.

The man gave him an almost toothless smile, the tempo increasing as he moved his body. The poor man was a forgotten person, just like Matt himself and the boy could feel sympathy for him, standing day out and day in, singing for deaf ears and only some people noticing him.

_"And I said "No one's gonna cry at your funeral! No one's gonna drink at your wake! No one's gonna sigh with a tear in their eye! 'cos no one's gonna miss you! Hell, no one's gonna notice! And I'll enjoy the silence!"_ It was a horrible pause, the man taking a couple of deep breaths before singing the last words of his song. _"When! You're! Dead!"_

The lyrics struck the boy right in the chest, his violet-blue eyes looking up at the smiling man and before he knew it he was turning his back against the musician and walking away, towards the building where he was suppose to meet the others.

Kumajirou looked up at his owner with wondering eyes, the soft tongue dragging over the boy's chin but he didn't even seem to notice as he entered the door, rushing into the bathroom. Matthew didn't know why it had hit him so hard, probably because of all the thoughts and dreams he'd had lately about being all alone.

He was now looking up into his own eyes through the mirror, them being slightly watery but it was not near enough to actually count as tears. The fact that he was so easily affected bothered the young nation since he usually kept his façade, smiling and talking with those who actually said hey, even if it usually was to tell them he wasn't America and that the hero was out trying to find a McDonald's.

"You okay?" a light voice said from his arms and the blonde glanced down at his friend, smiling with a little nod before he took one hand and wiped his eyes just to make sure all the excess water disappeared before he straightened his back with a small sigh.

"Yes, I'm fine thank you. Let's go and find the meeting." He snuggled Kumajirou, feeling a bit better when he had someone by his side that would always see him and care; they were a family and would always love and take care of each other.

With a new, happy twinkle in his eyes and a smile on those pale lips he walked out of the bathroom, soon roaming the endless halls in the big building. It took him several tries to finally find the right door but soon he was sitting at his usual place, looking around a bit in the empty room to see if anyone else had arrived. Not a soul was there except for him and his furry companion but when it was one minute left until the meeting would start the other nations suddenly stormed the room, the noises almost lifting the roof off the walls.

As predicted it didn't take long until Ludwig'd had enough and he slammed his fists onto the table, Matthew being completely sure he saw it lift in the other end where Kiku was sitting, quickly making the Japanese forget about the kitten in Heracles' knee and turn his attention back to the blonde male.

"So, now when I have your attention for at least a couple of seconds," Ludwig started with a stern voice, straightening out his muscular body to give everyone a glimpse of his threatening glare; some countries seemed to care less than others though, Alfred being one of them. "We are here concerning the quite sudden drop in the economy for many countries and we need a way to fix this, _quickly_. Many countries are already feeling ill and we do not want another depression now do we?" He gave Francis a glare since the man didn't seem to be able to concentrate in the slightest even though he was one of them affected by this.

"Yeah, yeah, we all know about it," Alfred soon interrupted, being busy drying the excess oil on his fingers from the fries he'd been snacking on onto an already dirty napkin. "My boss is setting out to fix some things already, it won't get that bad." He huffed quietly before he got up from his chair, pulling the fingers through his hair with that usual smile and Matthew started a quiet countdown. "Because I'm your hero!"And there it came.

"Good, good, now sit down," Ludwig said but the American had no plans on doing such a thing, instead he just shook his head and crossed the arms over his chest.

"No, I won't," he said and now it was his turn to smash a hand down on the table, leaning against it with an unsatisfied expression on his face. "I have a far worse thing to bring to this, something that has been bugging me for the last years and no one, not a single one of you have cared!" Alfred sent each nation a glare but stopped at his brother who started to feel quite uncomfortable when the American refused to look away. "And it's all your fault!" He was now pointing towards the smaller male that was hugging his polar bear friend, looking at the other with wide eyes.

Suddenly every country in the room had their eyes pointed towards him, they actually saw little, invisible Canada but now the only thing that went through their heads was either who the blonde actually was or what Matthew possibly could have done to his older brother.

"A-Alfred, what do you mean?" It was just a whisper that escaped him, barely even audible for himself as he bit his lip, shifting nervously in the chair. "I haven't done anything..." That comment the other blonde actually heard and he snorted before bashing his hand down the table again, probably just to keep the dramatic tension that had everyone's attention.

"Bull_shit_ Matt! Because of you I have been harassed, gotten so much hate from all parts of the world and I'm sick and tired of it!" The serious glare actually started to scare the young Canadian as he tried to disappear into his chair or sink through the floor; he was always invisible otherwise, why couldn't he use it now?

The other countries stayed quiet, their eyes flicking between the brothers like they were watching a tennis match and now even Francis had his full attention directed towards what was said.

"I-I don't understand... What have I done?" Matthew managed to speak up a bit more, the nations closest to them actually being able to hear now and they spread the boy's words across the table for those who had been more than 1 meter away from him.

"Oh, let me tell you! That prick you sent me! I'm tired of his drugs and his ways and his, his music! Justin freaking Bieber! He comes from you doesn't he!? And now he's suddenly my problem?" The tension seemed to grow even more when Alfred suddenly came with such an accusation and the more gossip-friendly countries were quite disappointed since they had hoped for something really juicy about the seemingly innocent Canadian that seemed to now have lost his tongue.

"Bieber?" Matthew soon repeated, just staring at his brother with his wide, violet-blue eyes. He didn't understand at all what this was about, how could it possibly be his fault there were scandals about the young star just because he happened to be born in his country? "H-how could you scare me like that?" His voice was now reaching 1,5 meters around him, a sign that he was actually upset by being jumped like that but the other countries still had to spread his words to the other ones around the table.

"Don't give me that look! I'm tired of it, take him back, I don't want him anymore!" Alfred pointed towards his brother once again, finding his sudden accusation perfectly reasonable. Bieber was from Canada originally after all, why should he not be able to return him like you did with things you didn't want?

"Y-you can't just ship him over to me again!" 1,8 meters. "B-besides, why would you even take that up here? I thought it was something really important!" 2 meters.

"It is important! I don't want him, take him back." Alfred stated it as if it was perfectly normal to return humans like goods between countries; the big nation had never been much to think through things before saying them, the mouth was often quicker than the brain.

"When he left Canada he was still just a normal person, I think, so I had nothing to do with all the scandals." The young blonde hugged his little friend a bit tighter, feeling embarrassed over the whole situation since the other nations still were staring. He didn't have to worry about no one remembering him when he disappeared though, this would probably stay on people's minds for quite a while.

"I got him from you and now I'm returning him. Pick him up or whatever, I don't care!" Alfred dropped his behind back onto the chair and started to eat what was left of his fries, now apparently ignoring his brother instead, not seeming to care at all about the scene he had just made. The other nations were quiet, no one knowing exactly what to say and Matthew could feel his body trembling slightly; so Alfred was just going to ignore him now like nothing at all had happened? The trembling he felt wasn't from discomfort like it usually was though, this was something else, a feeling he had only experienced once or twice in his lifetime so far.

"No." 20 meters. The blonde nation got up from his chair, feeling every pair of eyes in the room being directed towards him and the uncertainty struck him like a lightening, the boy losing his new found voice but feeling Kumajirou nudge his chin and seeing his brother return his attention helped him find it again. "You can't return broken goods, this discussion is over." He turned to Ludwig who was still standing up but actually being quiet for once and he sent him a nod together with an apologetic smile and he then turned, walking out of the room with everyone's eyes on his back.

"That...felt good," he whispered quietly into his friend's ear, nuzzling the little bear as he hurried away along one of the halls. The green carpet on the floor together with the walls in the same colour made the young nation rather confused as he walked through the seemingly endless halls and it didn't take long until he was lost, straying around in a try to find the stairs so he could head back to the hotel room and wait for his flight home; a flight that wouldn't go until next evening.

**oOoOo **

After quite a while the nation had found his way out of the building, walking along the street on his way back to the hotel. A mother soon became visible for him, pushing a stroller with a baby inside in front of her. With one hand on the handle and the other on a phone against her ear she could hardly control it properly which ended in Matthew having to jump out of the way to not get knocked down; militant mothers, nothing you wanted to get in the way for.

By now the man outside the hotel was gone, probably having been shooed away from there by some police; not that it mattered, the Canadian felt rather happy he wouldn't have to listen to that depressing song even though he did feel a little better about himself now.

His visibility had disappeared as quickly as it had come though, no one noticing him as he walked into the hotel and he got over to the elevator where Roderich and Feliks were standing, none of them talking to each other.

Matthew stopped between them, not being noticed as the countries just continued their exchange of enigmatic glares before all three of them entered the elevator, all pressing their special floor and both Feliks and Roderich looked a bit surprised when a third button started glowing but they shook it off as a technical error.

Just as the doors were about to close a pale hand was put onto the cold metal, pushing them open without too much effort and a shock of white hair got visible together with a pair of almost glowing, red eyes. Gilbert just looked at the nations inside the elevator, his eyes stopping slightly by the quiet one in the middle, before he walked inside and checked the buttons, soon leaning against the golden railing. He didn't have to say anything, the air was filled with his presence either way, and he just stood there with the arms over his toned chest, making the other nations feel insignificant, not much of a difference for Matthew though.

The uncomfortable silence seemed to affect Feliks who was hammering his fingers against the rail, getting an annoyed glare from the only brunette in there but he didn't seem to care.

"Ah, my floor, take care," he soon said when the elevator stopped and without a second to spare he rushed out, trying to be discrete about it but failing horribly.

The next stop took place at the floor above, Roderich nodding towards the albino but not saying anything as he got out of the suffocating atmosphere and when the door closed again it was only two left.

"It was quite a show you put up, Matthew is it?" The blonde seemed to freeze when he heard the voice, his eyes flickering a bit before he slowly lifted his head to look up at the older nation. Soft violet-blue met dashing red and Matthew swallowed once before he managed to nod, his arms tightening a little around Kumajirou who looked up at his owner with wondering eyes.

"Yes, Matthew," he said not louder than a whisper, earning a disliking frown from the other nation who leaned in closer and glared into the other's eyes. "W-what?"

"You are too damn shy. Just look at the awesome Prussia, you should be more like me." He stretched out his well-sculptured body in a try to prove his point, a smug smirk having taken place on his pale lips.

The blonde didn't know what to answer to something like that and when he noticed the elevator stop and the doors open up he took it as a chance to retreat but apparently Gilbert was staying at the same floor as he did, smoothly walking out behind the younger nation.

"I could teach you, you know." It wasn't a question, more of a statement. "Teach you to become more awesome. Not as awesome as me obviously but at least enough to make people notice you." It all seemed strange, Gilbert actually noticing him and now even offering Matthew help, something was up with this.

"I don't need lessons," the blonde murmured as he walked towards the end of the hall where his room was but he could still hear steps behind him; were they neighbours without him even noticing? "I don't know what happened today... A-Alfred just..made me upset, that's all. I don't want-"

"Bull," Gil just said and took a long step in front of the smaller male, not even moving when Matthew accidentally walked right into him, the violet-blue eyes now staring into the albino's chest. He quickly took a step backward, looking up at the other with a confused expression before he shook it away, the uncertainty from the meeting coming back to him. He wasn't used to people seeing him and now Gilbert was, the loudest and most self-centred nation there were to find and he wanted to help the small, quiet and futile nation to be noticed.

"W-why do you even want to help me?" Matthew asked and met those red eyes again, feeling the need to swallow a lump forming in his throat but he kept his face straight, only breaking eye contact to blow some hair away from his glasses before turning back to Gilbert. "Is this a prank? Or do you gain something?"

"I have my reasons," the albino snapped, pulling the fingers through his white hair before looking down at Matthew. "What do you say shrimp? I need to do this or Ludwig won't get off my back and you don't have anything to lose."

It was true, the small Canadian had absolutely nothing to lose on actually trying to make his voice heard, the only thing would be time if it didn't work but that he had plenty of. It was still afternoon and if he knew his brother right he would force all the nations to 'enjoy' some of the night life in his country so he would need to do pass some time then. Tomorrow were empty as well, at least until 8 PM when his plane finally would lift and take him back to his safe homeland.

"O-okay," he soon murmured after a long pause, looking to the side since he felt uncomfortable meeting Gilbert's eyes and smug face. "I guess I don't have anything to lose but when this trip is over I will go home and then I won't continue with any lessons..or what you now call them."

"Fine by me," Gilbert said with a smirk, dragging his fingers down his chin like he was stroking a beard but he soon put both hands on his hips. "First lesson will start in an hour! Be sure to knock on my room exactly..." He frowned a bit before he quickly took out his phone, checking the time before putting it back and the smug face returned. "...2.37 PM!"

With that the older nation turned, walking in the opposite direction and Matthew watched him disappear around a corner and it was only then he could relax and take out his keycard from the black wallet, it being just as plain as its owner.

"What have I gotten myself into now?" he thought to himself as he stopped in front of the wooden door with the golden numbers 1505 on it, all the room numbers started on whatever floor you lived on.

"Hungry," was the only answer he got on his line of thought from his oblivious, fluffy little friend and Matthew sighed as he got inside the room and closed the door behind him before putting Kumajirou on the bed and making his way over to the fridge.

"You know Kilimanjaro, maybe this isn't so bad. I made all the other nations notice me today, even though everyone forgot about me later on." Then a thought struck him and he smiled slightly as he took out some raw eggs for his friend to snack on. "Except for Gilbert." It was true, the older nation had still noticed him, Canada of all the countries had gotten attention from one of the most narcissistic persons in the world and now he didn't know what to do with it.

"Hungry." Matthew sighed again and broke the eggs into a small bowl he sat down on the floor, knowing he would have to wash his friend's face after the meal but he didn't mind, it was quickly done if you just handled the otherwise vicious animal correctly.

As soon as the bowl was on the floor Kumajirou was over it and Matthew sat down on the bed, thinking it was probably best if he changed into his plain suit if he was going to talk with one of the other nations. His plan of not being seen in his more casual clothes had failed miserably of course and he just hoped that no one would remember them as much as they probably remembered the scene. Even though it was burnt into their memory they still couldn't see him, it was all quite strange and these lessons might be just what the blonde country needed.

**oOoOo **

When the clock hit 2.30 Matthew was all dressed up in his suit, fixing the tie and pulling his long fingers through the slightly curly hair. Kumajirou was sleeping on the pillows again, having managed to spread his furry little body over all of them.

The blonde just giggled and walked over to his adorable friend, deciding to just lie close and listen to those calming breaths that made his nervous heart slow down a bit and he soon smiled as he thought about the lessons that were waiting for him.

It wouldn't be so bad, he actually almost looked forward to it since he would spend time with a nation he'd never even talked to before. Maybe he would learn something, maybe he wouldn't but either way this trip would be more interesting than anyone he'd been on before.

"Come on now sleepyhead, we need to go." Matthew nudged his friend a little, carefully picking the polar bear up in his arms as he walked towards the door. "I promise you, you will get to sleep through the night without anything bothering you." Kumajirou didn't seem to really care about it since he wanted to sleep now but instead of complaining he just nuzzled close to his owner, trying to make it as comfortable as possible for him in the other's arms.

As the young nation strolled through the hall he soon realized that he hadn't asked Gilbert about the number to his room and neither had the albino said anything about it.

Luckily, his saviour soon walked out of one of the hotel rooms, the long, blonde hair looking perfectly smooth as usual and his slightly dreamy face and charming smile could probably make any woman's, or man's, heart melt.

"Bonjour," he said, as usual not louder than a whisper but against all odds Francis actually turned against his former colony and his already charming smile grew even wider.

"Aaah, mon chéri," he said, his big arms wrapping around the smaller boy and stroking his head lovingly. "What can Papa do for you?"

"E-ehm," Matthew stuttered, feeling his face flush from the sudden intimacy but he managed to regain his composure as he pulled away slightly. "Excuser moi Papa. But do you know which room belongs to Gilbert?" The smile on the older male's face turned into a frown before he gave his former colony a wondering glance.

"Why..do you wonder that, mon chéri? D-don't tell me... Non! I can't allow this. No one will defile mon ange!" It now went up for Matthew exactly what Francis thought and his cheeks flushed once again as he quickly shook his head, his hands being in front of his face.

"Non, non! Nothing like that. I-I need to talk to him and he told me to come to his room exactly 2.37. A-and I'll soon be late so I really need to know, now."

Francis didn't really seem to believe him but he soon nodded either way, embracing the young nation once again with his strong arms and stroking the hair protectively.

"If he does something, don't hesitate to call, mon ange. He stays in 1527, that way." He nodded slightly against the hallway Gilbert had entered but due to having his face pressed into the other male's chest Matthew had no opportunity to see anything.

"Ah, thank you Papa. I'll see you around." Once again he snaked out of the other's arms, giving him a quick smile before he hurried over to the hallway and looking up the room before knocking. He could just hope the meeting with Francis hadn't taken too long but he guessed he would get to know that right away since Gilbert wouldn't keep it to himself.

The door opened up and there the albino was standing, his red eyes looking rather drowsy as he looked down at Matthew, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Who are you?" The comment made the blonde's jaw drop as he stared at the man that just an hour ago had ordered him to stand right where he was now, this exact time, or he hoped he had made it in time at least.

He was at loss of words, not knowing what to say or do as he just looked into those eyes but Gilbert soon seemed to remember as his face turned back into that smug expression he usually carried. "Oh, right, right! Little Birdie."

He motioned towards the other to come inside before he glanced up towards a corner where he saw a pair of blue eyes and long, blonde curls; the French was glaring leery at the albino, not even trying to hide when he noticed that Gilbert had seen him.

Of course the white haired male just gave the blonde a victorious smile, wanting to mess with his head even more since the whole scene could look a bit suspicious and since Matthew hadn't noticed his Papa standing at the corner Gilbert put his hand on the young blonde's lower back, shoving him inside the room and closing the door.

The Canadian did look rather confused about the sudden push inside the room but he soon forgot about it as his eyes landed on a small, yellow creature on top of one of the curtain rods. It was a small bird that let out a quiet chirp as it moved around, looking down at the two intruders that just had entered.

"That's Gilbird," the older male said as he noticed where both Matthew and Kumajirou were looking. "He refused to come down from there earlier this day so he wasn't attending the meeting."

Matt looked back at the other with a small nod before he let out a little smile. Luckily for him Kumajirou didn't usually sleep at places where the Canadian couldn't reach him so the bear had to go with him to most destinations whether he liked it or not, mostly because the blonde was very overprotective.

"I see. Well, you said something about a first lesson, right?" Matthew turned to the albino with a smile and put Kumajirou down onto the ground when he felt his friend struggling a bit in his arms to get free. "So, what is it we're going to do? I'm curious." The young blonde had grown used to the fact that he would have to talk more with Gilbert and he was able to keep his voice just a bit below normal tone but it was quite an effort to not go back to his usual ways.

"Ah, yes. First, why did you change your clothes? If you want to be more like the awesomeness that is me you need to dress properly. The clothes before, a bit plain but it still suited you much better than...that." He shook his head a bit as he walked around Matthew, pulling the fabric a bit and undoing the boy's tie and pushing back his jacket down his shoulders. "You look older than bushy brow does."

"Bushy brow?" the younger one repeated but soon realized he was probably talking about Arthur. It wouldn't surprise him if he didn't know the name of England but if he didn't Matthew could not understand why Gilbert had known his name, he could only feel a bit flattered over the fact.

"Yeah, him," the albino just said like it was obvious who he meant and he walked past the Canadian, soon sitting down on the bed and studying the slightly ruffled boy who he had just half started to strip. "So, this will be the first lesson, I'm awesome." Hardly a surprising comment but Matthew couldn't understand where he'd gotten it from all of a sudden. "The second lesson will be, clothes! It's still early so I hope you have your wallet ready because we are going to go shopping."

* * *

And there we go, first chapter finished! I'll try to post the second one as soon as school allows and same goes for my Soul Eater fanfic 'A joker in the deck'. Any remarks, reviews or just a plain 'Hey, you spelled that wrong'? Please, write, I'm always looking to improve both my writing and my English since it isn't my native language!  
Oh, and also, if you do find grammatical errors and misspelled words and you decide to point it out, please, tell me where the errors are! That will help a great deal since I will be able to find them quickly and correct them! Thank you 3

Also, for any French out there, I apologize for eventual language abuse and I promise, I'm not trying to mock... I don't know French so I sat there with my little lexicon and hopefully it was such a small amount of French that it couldn't possibly be wrong. You never know though.

**Dictionary: **

Bonjour - Hello

Mon chéri - Darling

Papa - Father (used very lightly here though, more of a nickname than actual father)

Excuser moi - Excuse me

Non - No

Mon ange - My angel


	2. Lesson 2: Clothes!

Hello! Sorry for taking so long to post the second chapter but now it's finally here, woho! I've gotten many wishes about Prussia x Canada so it seems like it will win buy I'll keep it open for one or two chapters more, just because~

Also, I have a new Hetalia fanfic on the way and I'm going to let you readers decide the Canada pairing once again. I have a poll on my profile so please, vote! Whatever you choose I'll make it work, even if you happen to choose Germany for some reason xD Note that I've posted all the characters that will be in the story so I'm giving you complete power over the next pairing, I hope you enjoy it! And please, vote 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Hetalia nor the nations in this fanfic.

* * *

**Chapter 2 - Lesson 2: Clothes!**

**_One week before the meeting_**

_"Oh for crying out loud Gilbert, have you been drinking all of my beer again!?" An angry German came stomping into the living room where the albino was poured out over the couch, one arm over the armrest and a leg over the back, the angle only being possible due to his long limbs._

_The male turned his red gaze towards his brother, raising an eyebrow slightly before giving him a smile._

_"Why would awesome me be drinking all your beer? It's not even that good." A comment that seemed to make Ludwig even angrier as he let out a small growl and put an empty bottle on the living room table, his hands soon squeezing his sides as he glared down at the slightly smaller male._

_"Don't play innocent, you've been free loading for way too long already, eating, drinking, not moving from the couch. Gott, you haven't lifted one finger to help around here."_

_"What do you want me to do, you take care of the cleaning, cooking and the training already, mein bruder. I don't see why I should do any of it then."_

_A small vein appeared in the blonde's forehead, pulsing slightly before he huffed and one big hand grabbed the albino's shoulder before pulling him off of the couch._

_"Listen now, your slacking days are over. I'm tired of your sponging and until you can show you can be the slightest responsible for yourself and others I won't do another thing for you, verstanden?" The red eyes met harsh blue ones and Gilbert frowned slightly since he thought his brother was being very unreasonable from out of nowhere._

_"I can be as responsible as anyone else both for myself and others. Not that I have to be responsible for others but still." He huffed quietly and pulled away from the blonde, glaring at him slightly._

_"No, I don't think you can. You haven't done anything to help me or anyone else what I've ever seen and I think it's time for you to learn a lessons. Do one unselfish thing for once in your life and I will let you keep on sponging as much as you want."_

_A silence followed the other's words, Gilbert staring at the blonde male once again with a frown as he imagined Ludwig run around, serving him all day out and in and a smirk took place on his pale lips._

_"That's a deal then, I'll do something nice and you will let me do whatever I want even if it is drinking all your beer."_

_"You admit you did it!?" The German glared a bit again before taking a breath and straightening his back. "Very well, it is a deal. But don't think anything will get you off the hook. You have to actually help someone else, spend your oh so precious time and not spend it on yourself." Those words seemed to make Gilbert realize exactly what he had gotten himself into. His thoughts had been to help an old lady over a street or maybe give some money to a bum out on the pavement. It would have been a nice act but nothing too straining but apparently that was not enough._

_"Fine, fine. At the next world meeting I'll make sure to find someone to help and I'll show you I don't only care for myself." He knew as well as Ludwig that that wasn't entirely true since he mostly cared for himself but this time he wouldn't. "Be it making that stroppy guy with the eyebrows give up his unhealthy obsession with tea or even make that Italian fight someone." The last comment Ludwig didn't know if he should laugh at or just huff. He had tried that for quite a while now and nothing he had done had worked on that cowardly Feliciano and he had by now given up, letting him be to do whatever he wanted._

_"Show me the results when we go back and if I think you have succeeded you can do whatever you want here." The thought of having his brother mooching off him wasn't a pleasant one but he was confident enough that Gilbert would have forgotten about the deal or he would fail with helping someone since it wasn't his strongest attribute._

_"Okay, okay, I'll show you. Until then though, I will stay here." He dropped himself back onto the couch and Ludwig just sighed quietly before he disappeared, looking forward to only take care of himself after this deal was done._

**oOoOo**

Matthew had barely been able to get out of the Prussian's room before he felt how a pair of eyes leered at him but who the owner was he couldn't see. He just felt the glare on his back but the second he turned around a wave of golden blonde hair disappeared around a corner and the young nation frowned slightly.

He soon decided to just hurry up back to his own room to get some things he needed for a day of shopping but the feeling of being watched never disappeared, not until he was inside his room and the door was closed, the Canadian pushing his back slightly against it in case someone would try to force their way in all of a sudden.

"Hm?" The small sound made Matthew look down at the polar bear in his arms and he smiled slightly against him before patting the soft head.

"Nothing, I was probably just..hallucination or something." He couldn't help but look back at the door slowly though, swallowing once before putting Kumajirou down on the bed.

Quickly he looked over the things in his room, putting what he needed in his pockets, that being wallet, cellphone and just in case, pills, seeing that a headache could be hard to avoid when going on such an adventure.

Soon he had relaxed enough to pick up his friend again and open the door, looking around just to make sure no golden waves were disappearing around any corners again before he walked down the hallway towards Gilbert's room.

**oOoOo**

"Come out, come out Mr French, I know you are there." Gilbert smirked slightly as he heard a small 'eep' from around the corner Matthew had passed not long ago and Francis soon glanced around it, glaring at the albino.

"I was just making sure _mon_ petite was alright," the man answered with a small huff before he glanced around the corner again, Matthew not being out yet which meant the older male wouldn't have to hide for now. If the cute Canadian saw him he would figure out it was he who had stalked the boy and the last thing he wanted was for Matthew to be, god forbid, upset with him.

A door soon opened in the direction the young blonde had disappeared and it was in the matter of seconds the Frenchman disappeared around another corner, being out of sight when Matthew came up to Gilbert, smiling lightly against him.

"So, where are we going first?"

"Elevator," the male just answered with a nod, believing that he had answered the smaller male's question with the answer the blonde wanted but it was not what Matthew had hoped for.

"Ehm, okay," he murmured quietly, his blue eyes meeting Kumajirou's for a second before he followed the man and entered the small space with the hideous, monotonous music.

They were quiet during the trip down and even the short walk out of the hotel was during silence.

"Okay then, we won't find anything good in these cheap districts. On to the fancy ones." He pointed dramatically towards the end of the street, causing some people to stare at him, especially one old lady he had almost hit right in the face but he just grinned wide and started to stomp away, Matthew giving the woman an apologetic smile she didn't seem to notice before he hurried after the albino who had earned the attention of the whole street by now.

"You see Matt, if you don't go big you will never own it, like I do! I look good in whatever you put on me and that will never change cause I have the looks for it plus the confidence. Put me in a dress and I would look better than freaking Cinderella!" He kept on talking loudly as the Canadian walked after him, noticing how people started to whisper since the albino seemed to talk to himself.

"Yes Gilbert," he said, polite as always even though he had a bit of a hard time listening to him completely. He would never admit it but he was jealous, the albino getting attention to easily, not even trying and he himself could speak to people and they would think it was a ghost that had just whispered in their ear.

Soon the two of them arrived to the more expensive districts, the walls being tall and white and every store had a decorated entrance that made it look like they were about to enter an opera house or mansion rather than a store for clothes.

"Oooh, 'Life Changer'. Doesn't that sound like a store that's perfect for our purpose?" Gilbert looked up at the white sign with the golden, cursive letters, trying to peek through the display windows but nothing was put out in them except for colourful paintings of the landscape in Paris. If Francis saw this his ego would probably grow a bit too much seeing that he was proud of the beauty he called his capital city.

Without waiting for an answer from the smaller nation the albino grabbed Matthew's hand, pulling him into the store with a wide smirk, almost running right into a young woman working there.

The red head gave the both males a wondering glance before she gave them both a smile, not wanting to risk being rude even though she hadn't expected such a couple to walk into the store.

"Oh, hello," she said with a polite nod against the two of them, taking a step backwards so she wasn't as close. "How can I help such a lovely couple? Something special you are after, clothes, chairs, a bed maybe?"

The taller one of the males frowned slightly as he heard what the woman said, having no clue what she was talking about but Matthew, who had been looking around in the store was now pulling carefully in the black sleeve that belonged to Gilbert.

"It's not...our kind of store," he whispered, the voice barely reaching the red eyed male's ears but he soon looked around as well, seeing big pictures of babies, minimal clothes and colourful cribs.

"What the..? You really should make it much clearer what kind of store you have, shameful." Matthew blushed slightly when Gilbert complained and the woman just looked at them without understanding the situation.

"We'll take our leave now and we are not buying anything." Gil turned around and walked out of the store, the two others staring after him before Matthew's blue eyes turned to meet the brown ones of the woman.

"I'm sorry, we..didn't know it was a store for parents." He quickly nodded his head as a polite gesture before hurrying out since he couldn't stand the awkward silence that had followed when Gilbert had left. "Don't you think that was a bit unnecessary?"

"Tsh, they had nothing that even suggested it was a store for babies, that's not okay." He huffed, glaring at the pictures and now noticed the one thing that occurred on every painting in the store. Babies and parents, enjoying the nature in Paris. Of course he didn't say anything about it though since Matthew hadn't noticed and he just decided to walk away and let his ruby gaze shift between the different stores on the block.

After a little while he looked inside one of the buildings, seeing men's clothing and actual men being inside and his usual smirk found its place on his pale lips once again.

"Ah, now we're talking," he said and walked inside, barely holding the doors open long enough for Matthew to be able to walk inside, seeing that the blonde's arms were full of polar bear. "This my young student, this is what I call style." He said it all with a smug smile as he started to look through all of the clothes in the store, humming quietly for himself while doing so. At first he was looking for his own sizes, feeling that he deserved some more clothes, if put on his brother's debit card of course. He soon realized though he had a smaller male behind him and he looked back at him, his red eyes scanning over the thin body with a musing expression.

"Hm, yes, should be about right," he just said to himself, gaining a wondering frown from Matthew but he didn't care as he roamed around the store, leaving him be at the entrance.

Half an hour later he did come back to the bored Canadian, his arms full of clothes, all from pants and button-up dress shirts to shorts and T-shirts.

"This should do, let's go and get change." He nodded towards the changing rooms in the other end of the store, expecting that the other followed him as he walked over there and so Matthew did. Gilbert put all the clothes on a chair in one of the wooden bays, shoving the blonde inside before pulling the dark blue curtain to the left to cover Matthew so he wouldn't have to change in front of the whole store.

It took quite some time but soon the small blonde had tried on every single piece of clothing and he was exhausted to put it lightly. It had been over 50 pieces and the fact that Gilbert had managed to get all of those clothes inside the bay was incredible, especially since the store had a strict 'Seven pieces only'-rule.

"I'm done now," the boy said with a relieved sigh, having put Kumjirou down on another chair that was in there and the bear had gone to sleep by now, being incredibly bored. "I found...some pieces I guess..."

"Some pieces? You're going to buy at least 20 of those things plus, here," Gilbert reached another shirt inside, this one looking incredibly detailed and well-made. "I think many of them suited you, especially that green shirt."

"T-the green one? It didn't even have buttons at the bottom and showed off my stomach completely." He grabbed the white shirt that had been handed over by his so called couch and he looked down on it, trying to figure out how exactly you were suppose to unbutton and then button it.

"So? People love a bit of skin, you would have the whole meeting all over you in seconds." The comment made the blonde blush a bit and he shook his head slightly, not liking that idea. He just wanted people to notice him and listen to what he had to say, that was all he wished for.

Soon the Canadian took off the shirt he was already wearing, starting to fumble with the golden buttons on the one but it took him longer than he thought and he soon started to get a little frustrated with not succeeding with a task that should be simple enough for a child.

"What's taking you so long? It's just a shirt for crying out loud." The inpatient nation outside was stomping his foot in the ground as the smaller country tried to hurry up to button the, to say the least, complex shirt he had gotten. It was nice though with the slightly wide arms and the embroidery on the collar but it was not nice enough to look away from how annoying it was to get on properly.

"I'm trying, I'm trying! You didn't give me a T-shirt to put on after all." His voice was barely reaching out of the changing room, something that only annoyed Gilbert even more and before the blonde knew it the dark blue curtain was pulled to the side and the larger male stepped inside, closing it behind him.

"Just let me fix it," he said and took a step forward to corner the young nation and without hesitating he started to fumble with the buttons, his fingers stroking over the pale skin as well without the albino noticing it.

Matthew had been frozen from the shock of having the other male join him in the now suffocating small space and his cheeks soon flushed bright red as he put his arms up to protect his bare chest.

"N-no! I can do it myself, we can't both be in here! I-I'm still in my underwear!" He tried to escape to the side but a hand quickly grabbed him and pulled him back against the toned chest, the taller male now trying to keep the Canadian pushed against him as his arms went around the male, trying to button the shirt from behind the small male instead.

"Keep still! I'm doing this whether you like it or not!" He tightened his arms around Matthew, trying to concentrate since the buttons on this shitty shirt really were annoying and it didn't get better when someone suddenly knocked on the wooden panel beside the curtains that lead into the changing rooms.

"Gilbert, is that you?" The albino sighed and pulled the curtains away, not caring that his own hair and clothes had become a mess from the struggle and that he was holding a half naked Canadian in his arms.

Outside a shocked Arthur was standing, only receiving a death glare from the Prussian nation which made the older blonde flinch a bit.

"What do you want bushy brow? I'm busy if you haven't noticed that." He was still holding Matthew in a tight grip, refusing to let go even though he heard the silent pleading and felt his struggling.

"Well...wait, bushy brow? What the hell are you calling me!?" Arthur seemed to forget about the scene for a little while but he soon noticed the smaller blonde once again, realizing that something was quite off with the whole image. "W-what are you doing to poor Alfred!?"

"Alfred?" Gilbert repeated and looked down at the pouting country in his arms before he looked up at Arthur again. "It's Matthew and I'm helping him get dressed, something you interrupted you pervert. Now shoo." With that he pulled the curtains in front of them again, leaving a puzzled Englishman outside but Arthur soon decided to walk away and pretend that never happened, both because he was a bit ashamed of having mistaken Matthew for Alfred, again, and also that it felt like he had interrupted Gilbert in undressing Matt rather then helping him get dressed.

Silence fell over the both males now when Arthur had left, Matthew staring down onto the floor and Gilbert looking down on top of his head. The air around them seemed heavier than before and the albino was sure he could feel small trembles run through the boy's body.

"Hm, are you alright?" he asked, tipping his head a bit to the side as his red eyes met those blue ones in the bay's mirror. He noticed a sad glance being given him in return and the albino frowned slightly, not loosening his grip even though he had given up on the shirt by now.

"I'm fine, I'm used to it by now," Matthew said with a shake of his head before he smiled up against the other into the mirror. "But I think I'll skip this shirt, if I tried to wear it for a meeting I would have to get dressed the night before it started, if not even the week before it."

"Yeah, stupid shirt," Gil muttered and pulled it off Matthew, leaving the thin blonde in only his white boxers and the other tried to cover himself up a bit with his bare arms.

"C-could I get some privacy?" he murmured and looked a bit to the side, not wanting to look right at the other male and Gilbert huffed quietly, not understanding why Matthew was so shy about it.

"Okay, okay, I'll go but hurry up will you? The store will close soon and we need to pay for at least some of the clothes." He pulled the curtains away, not caring at all that he was showing Matthew's pale body for the whole store but he soon pulled the blue fabric in its place, waiting outside.

Matthew quickly put on the plain suit again, trying to choose 20 pieces of clothing he could wear without having someone force it onto him and when he was done he gave the other 30 pieces to one of the workers, the man giving him a despondent glance before he started to put everything back into its place.

The young blonde felt a bit bad about it but Gilbert's hand on his lower back made him forget about it as he was pushed towards the cash-register, having to pay for the things.

"After this we have to do something about your hair. Maybe not cut it, I like this length but we should definitely fix it a bit so it looks more controlled." He curled some of the blonde strands around a slender finger before letting him be, backing away a little.

Matthew had a bit of a problem with carrying both Kumajirou and all the clothes but he soon managed to put it all, except for his bear, on the counter, the cashier giving him a small glance before he started to put all the clothes into bags, the amount of money they wanted just growing and growing.

He soon felt a knot in his throat, trying to remember exactly how much money he actually could spend but before he was able to even take his wallet out of its safe place in his pocket Gilbert pushed his way past him, taking out a card and giving it to the cashier with a charming smile.

"This one's on me," he said, the male behind the counter nodding and pulling the card, letting the albino push the code and soon it was all paid, god would Ludwig be furious if he ever found out about this.

"But-" A glance from the albino made Matthew go quiet and he watched the other male take the bags with clothes and walk out of the store, the Canadian being right behind him. "Thank you. I'll make sure to repay you." He couldn't complain since what Gilbert had done was a really nice gesture but it felt wrong having someone pay everything for him as well so that comment was the best he could think of.

"Don't mention it," Gilbert just said as he walked along the street, enjoying the sun as he thought about the evening. "We are going to that party your brother has fixed tonight. I'm going to teach you how to socialize with people since that's something you are lacking."

Matthew couldn't argue with that, he had never been good at keeping a conversation alive, maybe if he was telling someone about his new recipe of pancakes or a good game of hockey but other than that he often kept quiet or just interjected something every now and then that might have something to do with the subject.

"That sounds..good. Alfred always forces me to go either way and to have a reason for it, maybe it will make it worth it." He smiled lightly as he nuzzled Kumajirou a bit, Gilbert not listening since he was busy smiling towards every attractive man or woman on the street. Some of them giggled, some of them got a protecting arm around them from their significant other but everyone did notice him and once again the jealousy came back but it felt different this time. He wasn't jealous of Gilbert but rather everyone the albino seemed to notice and he sighed quietly as he looked a bit to the side when he heard a girl giggle from the red glance she had gotten but the nation just shook his head and hurried up, telling himself it was still just lesson two and he needed some more time to become memorable.

"So, the party will take place in a couple of hours, I hear we are getting a whole bar for ourselves, a rather expensive one on top of that so it almost makes up for the crappy hotel he got us." Gilbert seemed to mostly think for himself as he stomped away towards the hotel's entrance, Matthew having to speed up with his slightly shorter legs to keep up with the other's long steps.

"Yes, Alfred does like partying and only the best is good enough. At least most often." He smiled lightly but once again it didn't seem like Gilbert heard him and another sigh escaped his pale lips as he nuzzled the white fur ball in his arms to relax.

"First, take a shower," came from in front of him all of a sudden and Matthew looked up at the albino that now was standing in the elevator, on his way to go without the Canadian that quickly threw himself inside before the door closed. "When you are done with that I'll make sure your hair looks good and then we'll choose some clothes for you. Guess your sneakers will have to do, they are nice enough for any outfit I'm sure."

The blonde nodded and glanced up at the Prussian, smiling lightly as he tried to think about what he wanted to wear. He usually just put on his suit so it was never any choices involved but all of a sudden he had to think about what would fit the evening and what he had to wear to it. It was clear already he would never stand being a girl, matching nails, make-up and handbags to everything, not to talk about high heels, he would die.

Soon they arrived to the floor they both stayed on and Gilbert marched over to the room where the blonde slept and Matt looked at him with wondering eyes before slowly following him.

"I appreciate the help with carrying everything," he said with a careful smile before taking up the keycard from the wallet and unlocking the door. He only got a nod as answer as the albino made his way inside the room and without a warning he sat down on the bed, throwing his toned body onto it like it was his own.

"Go take that shower now, I'll wait here." He waved a bit against the other like he was shooing him away and Matthew felt a bit awkward about having Gilbert stay out there when he was showering. Of course he didn't say against it, considering he had never been good with handling the word 'no', so he just let the other male lie there while he himself put down Kumajirou on the bed and walked inside the bathroom, locking the door around him.

**oOoOo**

Half an hour passed by, the Canadian enjoying the warmth more than he would have thought and as soon as he remembered the Prussian waiting for him he washed the fruity soap off his skin, stopping to take a deep inhale of the sweet fragrance before hurrying out and drying himself with a towel.

When he walked out Gilbert was half asleep, Kumajirou being a small ball right beside him but those red eyes soon landed on the half naked, pale male as he exited the bathroom.

"Finally," he murmured with a yawn, not being able to help that his gaze roamed up and down along the body before he sat up, stretching out his back. "You didn't even wash your hair, how could you take so god damn long?"

"I'm sorry, I do enjoy long showers," he excused himself before he looked around after a pair of clean boxers but it wasn't until he got them that he realized he was in front of Gilbert and not only Kumajirou this time.

It all felt pretty awkward, the small male not being too keen on changing right in front of the other but he soon turned his back towards him, trying to get them on his legs and beneath the towel, struggling quite a bit and Gilbert just had to lean back and enjoy the amusing show.

When he finally succeeded he turned back towards the older male, managing to smile as that had never happened but he only got a calm expression as an answer.

"Well..the hair, right?" Now he got a nod at least but Gilbert still kept quiet as he got up from the bed, lurking around the short boy as he tried to figure out how to fix his hair.

"I like your curls, they suit you," he said, musing a bit over what he would like to see in a man and it didn't take long until Matthew was pushed down to sit on the bed, Gilbert fixing and dealing with the not so cooperative hair and one or two curse words escaped him but soon it was all in place, all except for one part that just didn't want to lie down. He had tried everything and it still stood right out of his head like an antenna and he sighed, letting it be since he obviously had lost this fight.

"Done," he said, studying his master piece. The hair looked shinier and it was long, luscious curls in the ends of it, framing his face perfectly. "Now it's only the clothes left." A smirk spreading over his lips as he moved away to let the smaller male get over to the bags. "I'll let you choose and if I don't like it I'll force you to change and I will keep on going until _I'm_ happy, understand?"

"Y-yes," Matt murmured quietly before he slowly walked over to the bags, almost like he was approaching a blood thirsty lion rather than three bags of clothes and as soon as he was there he started to look through them.

He tried on one shirt after the other, one pair of pants and then shots only to change back into a pair of long pants again. This went on for about 40 minutes before Gilbert smiled and nodded, finally liking the result.

"Not that you didn't look good in all but this is absolutely perfect, I promise you, it will be success. You can not look at yourself in any mirror though, I want your appearance to be a surprise for you as much as for everyone else."

The other smiled a bit sly, making Matthew worry about what exactly he had put on but he couldn't see properly when looking at himself so he didn't know much except for it being slightly open at the stomach but not enough to show anything more than a tease of skin.

"Your clothes look great Matt which means lesson two is finished! You will go to that party with me and rock it and you'll see that everyone will notice you." Gilbert smiled, very confident that he would win against his brother and he got up from the bed, moving in closer to pull the fragrance of the pale skin into his nose.

"A bit feminine maybe but it somehow suits you," he murmured with a small smile before he thought about what would be best for the coming lesson. He didn't have too long after all so he needed to be quick and efficient.

"Eh..thank you?" Matthew didn't know what to answer, how could fruity be feminine? Everyone ate fruits, didn't they? He sighed quietly before walking over to Kumajirou, lifting him up in his arms with a little smile before he turned back to Gilbert who still had his forehead in a musing frown but he soon lit up and gave the young nation his confident smirk.

"Okay, we're done with the easiest lessons, the first one being obvious and the second one not being hard since it's only clothes. Third lesson will be, jokes and conversations! You need to be able to pull off a killer joke if you want to soften up a crowd, not to talk about that you need to have a conversation and talk so people hear you. This one will be more of a challenge I think but I will be close all the time and tell you who to talk to and who to not talk to." He nodded with a smile before collecting all of Matthew's things and putting his hand on the arch of his back like in the store, pushing him towards the door.

"And now, I have to get change but that will be quick because as I said, I look good in everything." He smiled against the other with a shrug, shoving Matt out of the door before closing it, making the boy stay where he was as the albino went to his room to change. Everyone was probably already heading towards the party since it would take some time to get there and that was good, Gilbert wanted them to be last since then they could make a big entrance that everyone would see and remember.

* * *

Chapter 2 everyone! Hope you enjoyed it and please, review it as much as you can, I love hearing opinions to improve or just to know I'm actually doing something right!

One thing though, if you are going to comment about spelling errors or grammar mistakes, please tell me where they are instead of just telling me they are there, it really helps me a lot, thank you! 3

Also, will once again apologize to everyone out there talking French and this time also German. I'm doing my best with lexicon and asking native speakers but it's not always the easiest, sadly. Wish I could talk every language, how easy it would be...

**Dictionary: **

Gott - God

Mein bruder - My brother

Verstanden? - Understood?

Mon petit - My boy/girl


	3. Lesson 3: Going with the flow!

Hello everyone, chapter 3 here! Didn't make you wait as long this time since I had more inspiration to this one! One awkward moment after the other in this story, and I'm suppose to not be able to stand things like that in movies and books... But frankly, Canada _flirting_? Can it be anything but awkward?

Ah well, hope you enjoy the story and I would like to remind you of the poll on my profile where to vote for the next Canada pairing for a new fanfic I'm working on! If you could spare some time and click the one you like it would mean the world to me since I really could use some help, thank you! By the way, Germany is actually in the lead, just an observation.

Oh and also, this is now officially a PruCan fanfic! Got so many votes for that pairing and since I hinted with it already in Chapter 2, why not some more? Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hetalia or any of the characters in the story, except for the taxi driver from Harvard and her colleagues!

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**Lesson 3: Going with the flow!**

The building was supposed to be even more grand than Matthew could ever expect when Alfred had invited them all to, quoting the American, the party of their life. It was located in the outskirts of the city, meaning a 55 minutes long trip in the first, best taxi that had stopped for them and it had actually been Matthew that had waved it in, something he was still proud of.

"Are you sure you know where this place is? We've been going for almost an hour." Gilbert didn't look to happy where he was to Matthew's right in the back seat, arms crossed over his stomach and the red eyes glaring at the back of the driver's head.

"Of course sir, I can assure you I have taken the quickest and cheapest way, that's the policy of my company after all." The man looked up in the rear-view mirror, meeting those impatient eyes with his own calm ones before turning to the road again.

A huff escaped the albino as he leaned back into the seat, Matthew smiling softly while looking out in the forest that surrounded the small road, tall trees reaching up towards a darkening sky where the moon and stars had started to become visible.

"It must have been full moon not long ago, seeing how thin it is now." Matthew tipped his head a bit to the side, the golden locks softly moving together with it. "It almost looks like a smile, don't you think?"

Gilbert had barely been listening since he was busy correcting the tight pants that had twisted around his leg but when hearing the last part he turned his attention up towards the sky, the small shard looking like it came straight from Alice in Wonderland, if it only had been a little bit bigger and hidden an invisible cat behind it.

"Maybe," the nation soon answered with a small nod before turning his ruby gaze forward, watching the road that was lit up by the car's headlights. "I know we would have a smile in here as well if this trip was over now."

"Sure that smile won't be outside as well since I doubt you would be seated for long enough?" The small Canadian gave the other a snicker before leaning back in the seat himself, actually feeling a bit excited about the evening. The nervousness was hidden beneath it though, threatening with breaking his nerves and give him cold feet, seeing that he was suppose to socialize with people on this party instead of staying in a corner of a couch somewhere.

The young blonde usually didn't do things like that since the others never noticed him and from years of the same treatment he had grown accustomed to it but now it was all about to change. His whole life would possibly turn around in one evening and it was all because of the male beside him in the taxi. Gilbert, being lost in thoughts like he had been for most of the trip, didn't seem nervous about it all but why would he? He looked great in those skinny, dark grey jeans that showed up his long legs, a simple yet well-fitted, white T-shirt beneath it with a small V-shaped neck and a navy blue tuxedo inspired jacket over that, of course unbuttoned since he had a smaller version of his usual black and white cross in a chain around the neck and he wanted it to be visible.

"We are soon at the mansion gentlemen," the driver said, being surprisingly polite towards them but Matthew guessed it was because of the British accent, he had to be from England. The American taxi driver he had met when going from the airport had been driving like his life depended on it, screaming curses out the window and shaking his fist when he should have had both hands on the wheel. The young male was still glad he had made it out of that car alive.

"Finally," it came from the Prussian, the man walking outside as soon as the taxi stopped and since Gilbert had paid for all the clothes Matthew pulled out some American dollars he had converted from his own currency and paid the man, thanking him for the ride before he got out himself, quickly being taken aback as he saw the mansion in front of him.

It really was more grand than he could have expected and it was now clear why the hotel hadn't been the fanciest five star rated one in the city but a pretty ordinary four star one. This mansion had to cost a fortune to rent, the building being so incredibly big and luxurious that it exceeded any mansion Matthew had seen before.

They were standing outside black gates, spears pointing up towards the sky with a beautiful pattern between them, meeting in the middle to form decorated circles that split in half when both of the gate's halves were moved to the side to let the newly arrived guests in.

Around the mansion was a thick stone wall in a sand colour, matching the mansions warm looking façade. The top of the wall was decorated with waves carved into stone and here and there was bronze decorations ornamenting the otherwise plain stone. Just beside the gates were the wall a bit higher than the rest and on top of it were two black lamps, spreading a pleasant light over their faces.

When entering through the gate you were met by a big circle filled with gravel, in the middle of it another circle where a fountain was placed with a bit of grass and colourful flowers around the edges.

The fountain had a small pool at the ground, a pillar reaching out from it's middle, balancing a wide bowl filled with water that spilled its content down into the pool below, another pillar holding up a smaller bowl that also had water running from it. Lights were on all three levels beneath the water surface, spreading the same light as the lamps beside the gate and the rooms inside the mansion.

Around the bigger circle filled with gravel were palm trees, roses and plain green bushes, flourishing against the walls of the building and right in front of the two males were a temple like entrance, highly decorated with angels and something that would probably represent demons.

The many windows from where you could look out over the mighty forest surrounding them all had black sunshades above them and the mansion had at least seven balconies to walk out on and this was just the front of the building.

The black roof looked ruffled, like it hadn't been tended to but the roof base had beautiful ornaments portraying small angels with wings.

"And that cheap American couldn't even get us into a nicer hotel," Gilbert said with a huff as he took in all the details, soon putting the hands in the pockets of his jacket, walking towards the small building as his yellow bird peeked up from his collar, chirping loudly.

Matthew was just standing in the same spot in front of the enormous building, his mouth slightly open from awe and he didn't even notice that Gilbert was walking away until the albino was through the double doors and the blonde had to half run after him to catch up.

"Well, I guess this is the reason for lack of a fancier hotel," the Canadian said, trying to defend his brother like he always did, just like Alfred always stood up for him as well when he felt he needed to.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go and look for the party now." The taller male grabbed onto Matthew's free arm, the other one having a grip around his polar bear friend, and he pulled the other male with him through a well lit hall, a red carpet being on the floor and the light yellow walls covered in beautiful paintings of everything from a magnificent cherry tree to what looked like a royal family posing on a couch in front of whoever painted them.

Soon the rhythmical beating from music could be heard echoing between the walls and it was so loud it was incredible they hadn't heard it when standing outside. It was a dubstep beat as a ground but a more melodic sound over that with a dark male voice singing about a life on the run from himself, or at least that's what Matthew could get out of it when he listened.

Soon they entered a well-lit room, the ceiling stretching out over their heads, decorated with a pattern of thorns and roses around ten metres above them.

The walls were covered with large windows, starting one metre above ground and continued up to the ceiling. Through them you could see right into a blossoming garden, having a similar fountain like the one in the front of the mansion.

Inside the big room the other nations were mingling, dancing and eating. Many of them drinking as well since it was an open bar, free for anyone who wanted to drink themselves beneath the table.

Feliciano was standing at the buffet table, loading some kind of pasta dish onto a plate while happily rambling to Lovino who wasn't as social for the moment, though Matthew couldn't remember a time he had ever seen the country try to socialize. Could be due to the fact that he wasn't often close to the Italian brothers though.

Ivan was heaving down vodka right out of the bottle, to no one's surprise, already having an empty one on the table in front of him. Francis was sitting beside, being happy with his glass of wine, watching almost every nation in there like a predator looking for dinner. He was bored with other words and he wouldn't mind having someone to come and sit by him, someone else than the drinking Russian that is.

His blue eyes stopped though at the newly arrived pair of males, first glancing at the albino and feeling calmer now than he'd had earlier in the afternoon. They were friends after all, good ones even, but he just happened to be a bit over protective, not to mention possessive, when it came to the young Canadian. The last thing he wanted was to see him get hurt and he knew by experience that it wasn't always easy to think about the other's feelings when attracted to someone but not being in love.

When having spaced out for a minute or two he moved his gaze to the golden blonde locks that were brushing against the albino's shoulder and at first he couldn't say who it was. The little body was dressed in a pair of skinny, light blue jeans, looking slightly ragged since they were paler down the knees and thighs. On his feet were the black sneakers, matching the black button-up dress shirt. It was slimming, almost making him look thinner than he was. It missed a button further down, making a bit of pale skin visible and if the shirt had been in any other colour you wouldn't have noticed but now it was practically black against white, making it become more than notable. The shirt was a bit open in the neck as well, showing a teasing glimpse of sharp collarbones and more flawless skin.

Matthew did feel a bit uncomfortable since he now noticed how some people stared towards them but he told himself it was because of Gilbert, looking incredibly handsome as always.

An arm was suddenly wrapped around his shoulders the violetblue eyes looking up at a very familiar face, Alfred.

"Bro! I barely recognized you, being away from your boring, plain and ugly suit, it's nice!" Matthew didn't know if it was suppose to be a compliment or just an observation but either way he guessed it was better than nothing, it came from his brother after all.

"Eh, okay, good I guess." As usual it was merely a whisper, something that earned him a small stare from Gilbert. He was suppose to show confidence after all and that was not what he was doing for the moment.

"It is good, people might actually notice you." He smiled widely before a puzzled expression appeared on his face, the nation looking around. "Oy, Mattie, where did you go, bro?"

The other blonde felt an aching in his heart, pouting slightly as he looked to the side. Weren't they suppose to see him now when he was different? Or had he just jumped out of his comfort zone for nothing at all?

That expression didn't seem to go unseen though and Alfred quickly shook his head, giving his brother a sheep-like smile.

"N-no, I was kidding, I promise! You know your hero would never _not_ notice you." Something that wasn't true since it had been plenty of times Alfred hadn't seen him but at least he did notice him more often than not. "I'm joking around as usual, heh." It all just became awkward but Matthew nodded slightly and glanced over at his brother.

"Okay, if you say so," he murmured, his brother breathing out a bit from relief before a wide smile once again took place on his lips.

"Yes, I say so! Now, go and take something to drink and eat and you'll see this party will be awesome! I got some McDonald's for us, grab a cheeseburger, it will turn that frown upside down!"

"Hamburgers doesn't solve everything you know," Matthew said with a sigh, smiling slightly though as Alfred huffed and put his hands to his sides.

"Of course it does! I was super sick once and then I ate a super size menu and I felt better right away!" He nodded a bit but soon flinched when a finger poked him on his stomach, the American quickly protecting it with his arms.

"Sure your super sickness wasn't just hunger?" It was Arthur, raising a thick eyebrow and poking on Alfred's hands this time instead. "You should keep the fast food to a minimum, you are getting a bit..pudgy." Alfred pushed away his hand, pulling in his stomach and out with the chest, putting on an important look on his face.

"I'm not pudgy, I'm _hugable_. It's a big difference!" He just earned a snicker from both Arthur and Gilbert, Matthew giggling quietly since his brother was the same as always.

"You know hugable isn't a word right?" Matthew said with a smile, earning a pout from Alfred who wrapped his arms around his brother.

"You are suppose to be on my side, bro! What happened to sticking together through sun and rain, through sandstorm or hurricane, even through a tsunami!" The Canadian just patted the male a bit on the shoulder, Alfred soon letting go and sighing. "Ah well, I'm gonna take a cheeseburger and I'll show you I will feel a lot better after that!" He nodded in a determined manner before stomping away towards the closest buffet table where he had the burgers, probably going cold soon but everyone in the room had a feeling they wouldn't be there for much longer.

"Well, Francis seems to want something, guess I'll go talk to him." Gilbert raised a hand to say goodbye to the two blondes before heading towards the third one, wondering what exactly the male could want with such an eager expression on his face.

"How about I get you a drink then, Matthew?" Arthur said with a friendly smile, putting his hand on the Canadian's back to softly push him towards the open bar. "They have a syrup drink, I'm sure you will like that."

Matthew nodded slightly, glancing over at Gilbert who had now abandoned him to try and finish this lesson by himself and he just hoped he could make a good impression on Arthur with a bit more confident personality and a whole new wardrobe.

**oOoOo**

"Come on, you can't just sit here, some have had their gazes towards you for a while now, isn't that what you wanted?" Gilbert raised an eyebrow as he stood in front of the Canadian now being placed on one of the soft, black couches. The blonde was mostly looking down at the syrup, milk drink he had gotten, almost tasting as good as a pancake breakfast except for the alcohol taste in the background.

"Well, yes. But I don't know what to say," he answered quietly, stirring the beverage slowly with a pink straw as he tried to think of something to say if he actually would get closer to someone. He had talked to Arthur a little, the man actually apologizing for the mistake earlier with calling him Alfred, and also trying to give him a friendly warning about not inviting males like Gilbert into the locking room when changing.

Of course the comment had made the younger blonde feel awkward and his voice had probably gone quieter than it usually was. He had even tried to explain the situation but he had just gotten a sceptical glance and it had ended with him sneaking away when the older blonde had turned to fill his own drink with something the Canadian didn't know what it was.

"It's easy!" the Prussian soon exclaimed, leaning in closer to the smaller male and glaring with his ruby eyes into the other's. "Charm them. Flirt, make conversation. Just go with the flow. Actually I think that will be the name for this lesson rather than making conversations. Go with the flow." He shrugged and soon straightened his back again, noticing that he had caused Matthew to press himself back into the couch to avoid being so close to the albino's face.

"You make it sound easy but it's not. I never...converse casually with people otherwise. Or well of course I do, though most often with Kumajirou and he may have his moments but that's not often. And _charm_ someone? Gilbert... I wouldn't be able to charm a cat if I so was made out of cat nip, I just don't have it. I would not be able to say anything that would make sense."

An irritated sigh made the blonde look down on his knees, Matthew knowing he was probably annoying with his self-esteem but it was hard to change when you were used to something being one way. He only waited to hear footsteps leading away from him but they never came, instead he felt a pair of slender fingers under his chin, raising his face and once again he looked right into those glistening eyes that belonged to the Prussian nation.

"Of course you can, _Matthew_." The name had a new ring to it than usual, the male's eyelids being half down and having a half looped smile on his pale lips. Without being able to help it Matthew had to swallow once, his eyes widening slightly when having Gilbert so close and looking like _that_. "Have I ever told you I've always liked your eyes? You might be quiet but your eyes are so easy to read, giving a new meaning to the expression 'mirrors of your soul'." Anyone else using such a line, it would probably sound cheesy and Matthew would have turned away but the voice, it was a bit darker than usual, sultry even. "See, I have you captivated already."

The fingers from his skin disappeared, even the hot breath having smelt weakly of mint and beer was now gone from his face and with that the magic moment was over. Matthew had almost wanted to whine, grab the Prussian and pull him back but he really didn't know why, this was the first time ever feeling something like this.

"I-I can't do anything like that," he stuttered, his cheeks heating up as he realized what Arthur had meant with a man like Gilbert. He had always heard rumours about the nation knowing his ways around with ladies and men, a heart breaker without shame but this was the first time he had seen any proof of it. "Maybe I should take a taxi back to the hotel, you tried but this won't work."

He hugged Kumajirou that was in his lap, having just remembered the bear that had been there, curled into a ball lazily while his owner had gotten lost in a ruby haze.

"No! I won't allow that, I will teach you this if it so kills you in the process." He made a determined nod, the smaller nation not feeling much better by that comment but he obediently stayed on the couch, not touching his phone even though calling a taxi was very tempting.

"I still don't think I'll be able to charm someone. Though I will try and converse properly with a person, that shouldn't be too hard." He smiled slightly, trying to build his confidence again since it couldn't be much different from talking to Gilbert and he had done that plenty of times already, something he had never believed he would when taking his plane to America.

The dictated expression softened up into a smirk of victory as he made a spin on his heel, dumping himself into the couch with his long arms on its back, one almost touching the blonde's shoulders.

"Great! Next person walking inside this room, that is the one you will have to talk to and I demand you try to look at least a bit charming, it's better than looking awkward.

_There went the confidence again._

"O-okay, if you say so." Matt murmured with a small sigh, leaning back, feeling the arm behind him and for a few seconds Gilbert's face so close to his had come back in his mind and he swallowed once again, taking a breath and looking towards the entrance to the big ball room.

One minute turned into five, soon turning into ten but then a shock of blonde waves became visible and a knot tied in the young nation's stomach. Francis? Why did it have to be him of all persons, another person knowing everything about charming and flirting without even trying and now he would have to try something like that on _him_?

"How about...best out of two?" Matthew said hopefully, giving the other a sheep-like smile but only earning a raised eyebrow in return and it was motivation enough for the Canadian to leave his furry friend with the albino, slowly getting up from the couch before hesitatingly moving in closer to the France nation.

"Ah, papá," he said and raised a hand to wave, soon having a slender arm around his shoulders and a leering Frenchman beside him.

"Oui? You wanted something?" Francis asked with his usual smooth voice, having a glass of wine in his hand while Matthew still had the fudge coloured drink in his own. "I must say, you're looking stunning tonight mon chéri."

The knot seemed to tighten but Matthew managed to smile either way, taking a deep inhale as he put his free hand on top of the other nation's, trying to think exactly how he should move forward from this point.

"Well... We haven't talked in a while. And I thought it would be nice to do so, before we both go our separate ways." He was barely able save his drink as the older blonde pulled him into a tight hug, smiling widely.

"Ah, that sounds wonderful! Let us sit down, no?" Matt just nodded slowly, being half pulled towards another couch, glancing over at Gilbert that just gave him a big thumbs up, Kumajirou having curled up in the albino's lap by now, as lazy as ever.

Soon the blondes were both stationed on the furniture, looking at each other for a little while as Matthew desperately tried to come up with some way to continue the conversation before it turned into an awkward silence.

"So, how did you like the meeting?" he soon blurted out, managing to smile even though he saw the slightly disappointed expression on the older man's face. What else could he do though, it was a question as good as anything else and maybe it could get some form of conversation started.

"Well, as any other world meeting I guess. Boring, a bit plain. Though I must say it was fun seeing you raise your voice, guess you could call it a bit..intriguing." The French leaned in a bit closer but Matthew had turned away without noticing it, taking a sip out of the straw and Francis had to lean back with another foiled expression.

"Yes, I just thought it was a stupid subject to argue about, no one of us wins at it. Besides, let the human stay wherever he wants as long as he doesn't destroy or kill anything." He was a bit annoyed that Alfred actually _blamed_ him for something as a teenage pop-star. It had been different if he had blamed him for an invasion or an atomic bomb but no, the biggest threat to the American right now was obviously a human with more fan-girls than most celebrities for the moment, how terrifying.

"Indeed," Francis murmured as he bit his lip a bit, looking at the other's pale ones while he tried to think of the right move to do next. He had always liked the smaller nation, though of course, he liked most of the countries, especially the ones he could flirt with without getting a fist or pipe bashing his head in.

"But just one day left now, then we can go home," Matthew continued, moving a bit awkward in his seat while putting his hands between his knees, almost like he was trying to keep them warm. It was a habit of his, not having any explanation or reason other than it gave him somewhere to put his hands that otherwise would just be uneasy in another place. "Though it's nice to meet people again since it easily gets rather empty and lonely when away from everyone."

Francis just nodded once again, his blue eyes being set on their goal as he tried to figure out something to answer to that. It wasn't that lonely for him since most often he would cadging others or hanging out with his two friends, having some fun as the bad trio they were.

Soon Matthew came in closer to the older blonde's face, making Francis look down with a bit of a surprised expression. The petite hand of Matthew having wanted to move to the unshaved chin but had ended up on the toned chest hidden beneath a pink, lace shirt instead and he was now looking straight into those blue eyes that belonged to the Frenchman. He tried to do it as Gilbert, lowering his eyelids just slightly but instead of looking confident and charming the flushing cheeks and the violetblue eyes constantly glancing away made him look insecure as he wasn't too far from the other male's face now.

"I really enjoyed meeting you again though, since we haven't been able to speak in a while and your voice always relaxes me." A comment made to be flirtatious but it sounded more adorable in Francis' ears, especially together with that shy smile and a wide grin was now spreading over his own lips, the larger male leaning in closer so their lips were almost touching.

"I'm glad to hear that, _chéri_," he whispered in a seductive tone, putting some extra strength in the last word and he looked so confident and now it was the older one pushing in, Matthew leaning back to not actually touch lips with the other.

A hand being placed on the boy's cheek and for a second the time seemed to stop, the older one coming closer and closer and Matthew had no idea how it could take so long for them to touch, they were so close. It would take him some hours to later realize that while Francis leaned in the Canadian leaned back, soon shaking his head and getting up from the couch.

"T-that's not how it was suppose to go!" he complained, his voice being a bit louder than usual but still only for Francis to hear, or maybe also for a curious Prussian who seemed to have moved in closer to see how it would go, now having the fluffy bear in his arms instead of knee.

"Suppose to go?" Francis repeated, looking rather puzzled but Matthew had already turned away and sprinted out of the room, heart racing inside the protecting rib cage surrounding it. He had wanted to pull it off smoothly, having Francis feel like he had done when Gilbert had gotten close but no, the French just had to take his own initiative and try to kiss him, making it all just awkward and _wrong_.

Soon Matthew's frenetic running came to a stop, the boy now realizing he had absolutely no idea where he was as he looked around, the only thing surrounding him being walls and doors, lots and lots of door leading to god knew where.

"Great..." He sighed quietly, now missing the warmth and weight in his arms from Kumajirou, the polar bear usually being able to calm him even in the worst, or in this case, weirdest of situations. Would he even be able to show his face in there now? Francis would probably wonder what was wrong with him and if anyone had seen that, which at least half of the room probably had, it was going to be so many rumours the following day about him and the Frenchman.

With a tired sigh he choose to just sit down in the hallway, knees up against his chest in a tight hug as he looked into the wall in front of him, it was all so typical somehow, nothing going like he wanted it to.

A sudden nudge on his left arm made the nation almost fly out of his skin, his violetblue gaze turning against a fluffy, white head that looked up at him with big, black eyes. Kumajirou put his front paws on Matthew's arm, giving him a soft lick on the cheek with the pink tongue, the blonde boy quickly picking him up in a small hug.

"Kumijayo," he murmured into the silk like fur, smiling a bit for himself before hearing steps in the hall and he remembered now where the polar bear had been while he had been flirting with, being flirted by, Francis.

"You will probably never stop surprising me," the familiar voice said and when Matthew looked up he could see a smirk, a shock of white and a ruby gaze. "What was that all about?" Gilbert leaned against the wall across from where Matt was sitting, the arms being crossed over his chest and he looked incredibly amused for some reason, something that irritated the Canadian a little.

"He was trying to kiss me," Matthew answered, the irritation barely being heard in his whisper. "He wasn't suppose to do that.." He looked down at the bear instead, stroking him softly over the back with a little smile before he sighed and shook his head. "I just wanted to be able to talk properly with someone and..be a bit flirtatious like you but I failed miserably."

"You are talking properly with me right now, aren't you? Besides, you are charming enough for Francis to actually try, isn't that always something?" It wasn't usual for Gilbert to be so encouraging but the albino felt like he didn't have much of a choice now since if Matthew pulled out of their deal now he would have a hard time finding someone else that would need enough help for him to teach Ludwig a lesson. Besides, seeing the small Canadian give up was a pretty miserable sight since he looked so down in the dumps.

"I guess I am," Matthew said, glancing up towards Gilbert once again as he thought about it, trying to have a positive attitude but now afterwards he felt a bit embarrassed over the encounter with the Frenchman. "I still wished that hadn't happened though. By the way, you two are using the same technique, the whole, putting force into the name or nickname or whatever you decide to call the person and touch the face."

"He had to learn it from someone now didn't he?" Gilbert said with a snicker, Matthew not being sure if he should believe in that or not but he just shrugged, starting his try to get up with a Kumajirou in his knee but the albino soon came to his help, holding out one of his pale hands. The blonde looked at it for a short while before taking it, the other pulling him up on his feet with ease before giving him a pat on the back. It was with a bit too much force in it though, causing Matthew to lean forward with a small cough before sighing and starting to walk.

"I don't want to go back to the party," he said and looked around in the hallway. "Not that I know how to get back either way but still." He noticed how Gilbert disappeared from his side and he stopped and turned around, noticing the albino standing there, obviously thinking about something.

"How about going back to the hotel then? We've been here for a good amount of hours by now and to be honest, the monotonous pop music is starting to get on my nerves." He shrugged a bit before giving the other male a small smile. "Do not think for a second though you will be skipping out on any lesson just because of this, I know something that will certainly serve you later on in life and it's probably better to do that in the hotel."

Matthew frowned a bit, wondering what kind of lesson that could be but he couldn't help to feel that it sounded a bit wrong in his ears, something that surprised the young blonde since his thoughts never wandered off to strange things otherwise. It was probably just what Arthur had said earlier that had made him think Gilbert had mostly one thing in mind and even if that was true the albino had shown no signs of having any interest in the Canadian.

"Okay, I'll just send Alfred a text when in the taxi so he won't call me in the middle of the night since it's always around 3 or 4 AM he notices me being gone or not having gone to the party in the first place.

Gilbert just huffed quietly by that but he didn't say anything, just putting a hand on the blonde's back and shoving him through the hallway.

"Do not worry about the taxi, since it takes such a long time for them to get here they are already standing outside, waiting for us. God knows how much it has cost to actually have the drivers wait outside for hours but who cares, really? We can get back right away."

Matthew looked a bit surprised, almost feeling a bit sorry for the drivers but it was very convenient for the nations since no one felt like waiting for almost an hour after having decided on going home.

As said the yellow cars were standing outside the gates, the drivers seeming to play cards on a bonnet but they all looked up when someone finally came out and one hefty woman was quick with walking over, smiling against them.

"Can I drive you gentlemen somewhere?" she asked, the others she left behind seemed to be a bit irritated that they hadn't walked over to get the chance to drive back to the city.

"Yes, we would like to go back to the city," Gilbert said and soon smiled lightly. "But first, we need to make a quick stop at a supermarket that still is open, I have some things to buy." The woman nodded with a smile, leading the nations to one of the cleaner cars before getting inside, Gilbert first opening the door for Matthew, closing around him and then walking over to the other side to get in himself.

The blonde was a bit surprised by the act but smiled lightly, being a bit curious about what the albino was going to buy but when he tried to ask Gilbert just grinned, refusing to say anything.

The drive back to the city was during silence, or at least between the nations, the woman was more than happy to tell her life story about graduating from Harvard but leaving a life in glory to follow her dream. Only to fail and end up driving people around the whole country, it was actually quite sad but she seemed more than happy to be a driver either way so he just nodded politely every now and then, giving her a smile.

Soon they stopped outside a supermarket, Gilbert excusing himself and heading inside, leaving Matthew to listen to more talk but it was quite interesting. The woman told him about the time a customer had tried to skip the bill and she had hunted him down, tackling him so he fell face first into the street.

"Remind of paying you when we reach the hotel," Matt said with a small smile, the woman letting out a loud laugh and a nod while she kept her eyes on the exit to the supermarket to see if Gilbert would come soon.

Ten minutes later said male came out with two bags in his hands, the blonde trying to see what was in them but whatever it was it was well hidden and Gilbert put them by his feet when inside the taxi.

"So, onwards to the hotel," he said in a mighty voice, the woman giving him an amused glance before she stepped on it, probably going faster than what was allowed but at least they arrived at the hotel quicker than what was expected and after paying the woman what they owed her they stepped out and walked inside of the hotel.

"Can't you tell me what's in those bags now?" the blonde asked curiously, trying to sneak a peek but Gilbert just shook his head and pulled them out of his view.

"Nope, you'll see when we are at the room," he just answered before entering the elevator and for once Matthew didn't even care about the music, he was curious and he wanted to know what could possibly be so secret about what he had bough in a supermarket.

Soon they were finally on their floor, Matthew being the one shoving Gilbert forward this time with both hands on his back. The albino was quite surprised by not only the other nation being so forward but also the strength that the small body could generate.

"Okay, okay, just let me take out the keycard." He chuckled quietly before he got it out of his pocket on the slim jeans, opening the door and walking inside.

A happy chirp was heard from the man's collar and out of it the little yellow ball of feathers came, having hidden there the whole time and to be honest Matthew had forgotten about Gilbird.

"So you finally decide to show yourself? I know you don't like loud music but still." The Prussian smiled affectionately at the little bird before it jumped down on the bed, Gilbert now turning to Matthew instead and dangling the bags almost right in front of the boy's face. "Curious?" He stretched the word out with an alluring tone, smiling overly amused over the fact that something so small could bring forward a new side of the Canadian.

"Yes," Matthew answered, a little bit irritated that he hadn't gotten to know yet and he really wondered what exactly it was in there.

"Good! I don't know if I should really let you pass on lesson three though, you didn't go with the flow as much as you should have. But you talked to people more than you usually do and you tried to flirt, even though it ended with you running out looking like a tomato. So okay, here comes lesson four." He gave the other a smirk before suddenly pulling out two big bottles from one of the bags, holding them up and Matthew understood rather quickly what it was and now what the lesson would be all about.

"Drinking! I said it would serve you later in life. The best way of bonding with people is buying them a drink, or getting one bought for you in your case probably, and then just talk! Besides, the alcohol will help you loosen up so, it can be a continuation of lesson three as well... But mostly lesson four." The Prussian smiled, Matthew being a bit disappointed since he had though it was something more exciting with Gilbert keeping it secret but he should have been able to guess it. The bottles had plastic around them though, the reason for them not hitting against each other in the very familiar sound that otherwise would have told the blonde right away what it was.

"Okay... I guess it's worth a try," Matthew said with a shrug and put Kumajirou on the bed before sitting down himself on the edge. "But I don't think I'll be able to learn how to handle alcohol better because of one night of drinking."

"That's not the goal, it's to test you. I bet you have never gotten drunk before or even tried drinking more than just a drink here and there, right?" Silence fell over them and Gilbert raised an eyebrow, studying the Canadian on the bed. "Right?"

"Ah well... Not intentionally drunk... It kinda just happened," Matt whispered, scratching the back of his head and ruining the hair Gilbert had struggled with.

"Hm, either way, we're going to push your boundaries a bit, I even bough some more flavoured things than just pure alcohol for your sake. Cinnamon whiskey, for an example." He pushed the bottle into Matthew's arms before walking over to the mini-fridge, taking out two glasses and giving one of them to the blonde and the other for himself, soon having both filled with the goldenbrown coloured liquid. He soon raised his glass towards the other and gave him a wide smile as he watched Matthew slowly starting to understand what he wanted and raise his glass as well.

"So, cheers. For us and for lesson four!"

* * *

Hope you enjoyed it! Hopefully Chapter 4 will be up within a week, as soon as I'm done with my tests the coming Friday. Will also try and get Chapter 3 out on my Soul Eater fanfic 'A joker in the deck'.

**Dictionary:**

Papá - Father (though used more as a nickname, used very lightly and not seen as an actual father)

Oui - Yes

Mon chéri - My darling


End file.
